Celator(R) Pharmaceuticals Approved for Approximately $1.5 Million From New Jersey's Technology Business Tax Certificate Transfer Program

January 07, 2014 08:30 ET | Source:Celator Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

EWING, N.J., Jan. 7, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Celator Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:CPXX), a pharmaceutical company developing new and more effective therapies to treat cancer, announced today that the company has been approved for approximately $1.5 million, in non-dilutive financing, through New Jersey's Technology Business Tax Certificate Transfer Program.

"We are thankful to have been approved for this program by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) and for the ongoing support the biotechnology community receives from the State of New Jersey. We look for non-dilutive ways to fund our company, and plan to use this money to continue our research and development efforts in our oncology pipeline," stated Fred M. Powell Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Celator.

This program enables approved, unprofitable New Jersey-based technology and biotechnology businesses to sell their unused net operating loss carryovers and unused research and development tax credits to unaffiliated, profitable corporate taxpayers in New Jersey for at least 80% of the value of the tax benefits. This allows those technology and biotechnology businesses to turn their tax losses and credits into cash to fund equipment and facilities, and for other allowable expenditures. The NJEDA determines eligibility, and the New Jersey Division of Taxation determines the value of the tax benefits. Celator expects to recognize approximately $1.4 million from the sale of its net operating losses.

Celator has been approved to participate in the program for each of the last five years, with the amount awarded this year being the largest to date.

About Celator Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Celator Pharmaceuticals, Inc., with locations in Ewing, N.J., and Vancouver, B.C., is a pharmaceutical company developing new and more effective therapies to treat cancer. CombiPlex®, the company's proprietary drug ratio technology platform, represents a novel approach that identifies molar ratios of drugs that will deliver a synergistic benefit, and locks the desired ratio in a nano-scale drug delivery vehicle that maintains the ratio in patients with the goal of improving clinical outcomes. The company pipeline includes two clinical stage products, CPX-351 (a liposomal formulation of cytarabine:daunorubicin) for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia and CPX-1 (a liposomal formulation of irinotecan:floxuridine) for the treatment of colorectal cancer; and preclinical stage product candidates, including CPX-571 (a liposomal formulation of irinotecan:floxuridine), and hydrophobic docetaxel prodrug nanoparticle (HDPN) formulation being studied by the National Cancer Institute's Nanotechnology Characterization Laboratory. For more information, please visit the company's website at www.celatorpharma.com. Information on ongoing trials is available at www.clinicaltrials.gov.

Forward-Looking Statements

To the extent that statements contained in this press release are not descriptions of historical facts regarding Celator, they are forward-looking statements reflecting the current beliefs and expectations of management made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "may," "will" "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," and similar expressions (as well as other words or expressions referencing future events, conditions or circumstances) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Examples of forward-looking statements contained in this press release include, among others, our expectations regarding the sale of our net operating losses and our ability to develop CPX-351 and our proprietary technology platforms. Forward-looking statements in this release involve substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause our clinical development programs, future results, working capital requirements, performance or achievements to differ significantly from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, the uncertainties inherent in the conduct of future clinical studies, enrollment in clinical studies, availability of data from ongoing clinical studies, the potential efficacy and therapeutic potential of CPX-351, our ability to raise capital, and other matters that could affect the availability or commercial potential of our drug candidates. Celator undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. For a further description of the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to the business of the company in general, see Celator's Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012 and other filings by the company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

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